Year 10 Visit to the Sydney Jewish Museum

At the end of April 2021, the Year 10 cohort went to the Sydney Jewish Museum. The museum was deeply moving and provided a first-hand insight into the life of a Jewish person during World War 2. Throughout a series of seminars, tours and talks, we learnt about genocide, the Holocaust and the history of Judaism in Germany. The experiences the girls had were invaluable, and many commented that they would love to come back in their own time for further understanding and learning. 

We were fortunate enough to speak to 97-year-old John Gruschka, a WWII survivor from former Czechoslovakia. John shared his life story with the MLC School girls, and happily answered any questions that we had. John and his mother relocated to Prague in 1938 to escape the war, whilst his father and older sister moved to Palestine. In February 1939, John was offered to flee to Manchester, England to live with a distant relative. His mother, Helene, stayed behind to look after her frail mother. To reach the ferry to England, John had to escape by train through Nazi Germany. John said goodbye to his mother at the train station for the last time when he was 15, and made his way across the sea to a foreign country with no understanding of the English language. John has since reunited with his father and sister in Palestine, and later moved to Australia with his wife and kids. Devastatingly, John’s mother, Helene, was sent to the Theresienstadt concentration camp and then to Auschwitz in 1943, where she was murdered. John’s story of resilience, survival and determination was full of tears, laughs and reflection. Overall, it was an incredible honour to listen to John share his life story, and I would like to thank the Sydney Jewish Museum, John Gruschka and MLC School for organising and sharing this important part of history. 

In small groups, we were given the opportunity to be guided around the museum’s detailed, impactful and fascinating exhibits. The guides were enthusiastic and encouraged us to ask questions, which they answered eagerly. It was so valuable to learn from them and explore the museum, taking in knowledge and becoming more aware of the experiences that people faced during WW2. This was followed by seminars regarding issues such as genocide and anti-Semitism detailing how this occurred during the war, and how this is managed and affects people today. It was such a valuable experience for all MLC School girls, as it provided a deeper understanding of what we had learnt at school, but also allowed us to engage personally with the stories and experiences Jewish people faced during the war, and coming to Australia. An exhibit that struck me personally was a water feature installed to commemorate the children who were murdered during the holocaust. It was profound and confronting, consisting of 1.5 million droplets of water to signify the 1.5 million children. It was through experiences like this that I was able to begin to understand the extent and tragedy of what occurred, as to why this opportunity for me, and for all of Year 10 was so valuable. Overall, we are so grateful to have had this opportunity and it was truly unforgettable as every girl walked away having learnt something they had not known before.

– Selena (Year 10) and Laura (Year 10)